Improvement in apparatus for manufacturing illuminating-gas



J. C.v TFFANY.

-Apparat'us for Manufacturing Illuminating-Gas.

No. 133,391. Patented nlm/.26,1872

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH C. TIFFANY, OFVPORTSMOUTHFNEW HAMPSHIRE.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ILLUIMINATING-GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 133,391, dated November 26, l1872.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH OAPRONTIF- FANY, of Portsmouth, county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and Improved Beton-Furnace; and I do hereby declare that thc following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the drawing annexed.

Nature and Object of the Invention.

The nature of my invention is that of a furnace, containingin its interior a fire-chamber of fire-brick, between which and the walls or shell of the furnace is placed a non-conducting material, with a peculiar arrangement of a heated air-chamber, and a peculiar mode of supporting my retort; and the object is to make a retort-furnace for the production of gases from oil in which all the heat applied shall be utilized, while the whole apparatus is made more durable and convenient.

Description of the Drawing.

Figure l is a view in perspective of my iinproved retortfurnace. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the saine. Fig. 3 is a view from above of the grate-bars and their supporting apparatus. Fig. 4 is a view of apeculiar ring, hereinafter more fully described, which in part supports the retort.

Description of the Invention. In the drawing, A, Fig. 1, (A A, Fig. 2,) is

l the shell or outer wall of myfurnace, composed of six oblong rectangular'slabs of iron, placed vertically upon one of their shorter sides, respectively, upon a thickhexagonaI-shaped slab ot' metal, seen in Fig. 1, which forms the bottom of my furnace, the slabs forming in horizontal section the figure of a hexagon. One of these slabs bears (see Fig. l) a furnacedoor, made in the usual manner,and Valso an B, Figs. 2`

rate and removable.) D D is the lire-chamber, shown in vertical section in Fig. 2. It is made of fire-brick, and is cylindrical in shape,

with neither top cover nor bottom piece. This fire-chamber is placed, with its axis perpendicular, upon the grate-ring B and the ring of the grate C which supports it, and it reaches up to within a short distance of the top of the shell A. At E, Fig. 2, is seen in dashed lines the location of an oblong perforation in the front side of the fire-chamber, which perforation is, as will be seen by Fig. l, opposite the door of the furnace-shed. The object of this perforation E is to admit the passage of fuel through the door F into'the body of the firechamber. H H, Fig. 2, is the air-chamber ring, seen in vertical section Hx H. Fig. 4 shows the same, in view from above. This air-chamber ring is a double ring, being formed by one flat ring joined, they being cast to gether at its periphery with an upright cylindrical ring. The flat ring lies, when in position, upon the top or upper edge of the lire-brick cylinder or lire-chamber D D, and its central aperture is -of larger radius-for, say, one hundred' and twenty degrees oia circle-than the rest of the circular hole, (see HX, Fig. 4, at that point which comes at the front side of my apparatus. At the opposite side, see Hz, Fig. 4, the. fiat ring is widened, forming a sheaf, which passes into an oblong-shaped hole of a box-like device, see Fig. l, which is cast on the top por tion of the back slab of the shellA, and is the flue or chimney of my apparatus. The cylindrical ring of the double ring H H reaches up to the same height with the top of the six slabs which form the outer shell A of the furnace. Upon the top edges of the air-chamber ring H H and of the shell A rests the cover J J, Fig. 2, in vertical section, J, Fig. l. This is a fiat piece of metal, hexagonal in shape, as seen in Fig. 1, which bears, cast upon it, proceeding downward from its outer edge, a projection of such form as would be made by pressing up a short cylinder into shape, hexagonal, as viewed in the line of its axis. This projection makes the side or sides of the cover, and fits not very closely round the top part of the shell A. VThis cover J bears at its center a circular aperture, into which fits the retort K K, Fig. 2, (K, Fig. l.) As this retort has been fully described by me in the specification able bottom.` The flange at the top of the retort lies upon the upper surface of the cover J J, Fig. 2, and the lowerportion of the retort passes through the `circular' aperturel of the air-chamber ring H H, Fig. 2, which, the shape of that part of the retort being con-V ical, helps, with` the` cover J J, to support it. The space L L, Fig. 2, between the nre-chamber and the shell, is iilled with a non-heat conducting material.

Operation of the Intention.

The `different parts of my device being in position, and the retort charged with oil, a

lire iskindled by wayof the door F and the Vto rightand left; round the sides of the retort,

the contents of which arethus stillfurther heated, the heat being `thus fully utilized. Havingpassed through the ue at Hz, the heat- .ed air and smoke go up the chimney. Should the double ring become expanded by the heat, andthus the `cylinder which forms the upper ring of the same be lengthened, the cover J, Fig. 1, `which `it supports, rising with it, slides its hexagonal sides up the sides of the'shell, andstillholds the slabs ofthe shell together; this part of my device being thus adjustable `to any degree of heat.

The intense heat necessary to gasity the oil hasin other devices, often destroyed the shell of a' retort-furnace, which shell also `conducts away a large portion ofthe needed heat. By

'my` arrangement of the non-conducting wall between my re-chamber and shell, I obviate these disadvantages.

\ I do not claim placing a non-conductor out-` side of the shell; nor do Iclaim` the ilat ring of the double ring H H as supporting the retort. unless the said ring be in combination with ,the cylindrical ring, which I have described as being connected with it. y

I claim- I 1. In retortfurnaces, the combination and arrangement of the gratering B and the air.- chamber ring H H with the tire-chamber DI) and the retort K K, when constructed and arranged substantially as described.

2. The combination and arrangement of the.

adjustable top J J of the furnace-shell `with the air-chamber ring H H, "when 'constructed and arranged substantially as described.

3. The combination and arrangement ofthe fire-chamber D D, the 1ion-conducting`substance between the tire-chamber `and the shell A A, and the enveloping furnace-shell A A, when constructed and arranged substantially as described.

JOSEPH CAPRON TIFFANY.

Witnesses:

LEMUEL I. JENKs, J naomi DAVIS. t 

